Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday called for a “main front” of all non-BJP parties to take on the Narendra Modi government in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and asserted that the decision on its leadership can be taken later.
Speaking to reporters after meeting several non-BJP leaders, Kumar said he had “very good and long discussions”.
“If all non-BJP parties in various states come together, then an atmosphere will emerge for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections where things would not remain one-sided. With whomever I talked to, there were positive discussions,” Kumar said.
He went on to say: “Whenever someone says there is a need to create a third front, I always say let’s make the ‘main front’. Whenever it happens, it will be the main front, not the third front.”
Kumar, who last month severed ties with the BJP and formed a new government in alliance with the RJD-Congress-Left bloc, has been meeting several opposition leaders since September 5.
He has met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary D. Raja, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, INLD supremo O.P. Chautala and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.
On Wednesday, he met NCP’s Sharad Pawar and CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya.
“An understanding between the Congress, the Left, parties with socialist background and others will be in the national interest. If all non-BJP parties in various states come together, then a good atmosphere will emerge in the country,” PTI quotes Kumar as saying.
“Both Pawar and I are keen to unite opposition forces who are not with the BJP. A leader of the alliance can be decided later. It is important to come together first,” Bihar CM told reporters after a 30-minute meeting with the NCP supremo Pawar.
Kumar said he would come to Delhi again to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who has been travelling abroad for personal reasons.
